Thiokol/Sandia Tomahawk(used as upper stage)

The TE-416 Tomahawk solid-fueled rocket motor was developed by Thiokol in the early 1960s for the Sandia National Laboratory.
Only very few Tomahawks were launched as single-stage rockets by Sandia and NASA, but the motor was successfully used as the upper
stage of a large number of sounding rocket configurations. Although primarily used by NASA, three combinations were also launched by the U.S.
Air Force.

Nike-Tomahawk

The first choice for a solid-fueled booster for sounding rockets in the 1960s was the M5 Nike stage. Sandia used
the Tomahawk from the beginning as a Nike-boosted rocket, and the first Nike-Tomahawk flew on 25 July 1963.
The rocket could lift a payload of 45 kg (100 lb) to 370 km (230 miles) or 115 kg (255 lb) to 215 km (134 miles) altitude.
The USAF launched 38 Nike-Tomahawks between April 1967 and November 1983, mainly on aeronomy and plasma physics
missions. The last of almost 400 Nike-Tomahawk launches by any user
was a NASA flight in November 1995.

Photo: NASA

Nike-Tomahawk

Ute-Tomahawk, Paiute-Tomahawk

Thiokol built the TU-715 Ute and TU-716 Paiute (sometimes spelled Payute) motors apparently specifically for
use by the USAF as a booster stage for the Tomahawk.
The Ute motor had a diameter of 40.6 cm (16 in), was 16 m (52.5 ft) long, and could produce a thrust of
85 kN (19100 lb) for 4.6 seconds. The Paiute was a derivative of the Ute with a longer motor casing
and (presumably) a different propellant type. It could generate a thrust of 186 kN (41800 lb) for 3.7 seconds.

The USAF's Cambridge Research Lab launched 38 Ute-Tomahawks between 16 November 1971
and 23 January 1976 to a maximum altitude of 235 km (146 miles). 33 Paiute-Tomahawk combinations were
fired between 15 April 1972 and 26 October 1981, the highest altitude being 288 km (179 miles).

Specifications

Note: Data given by several sources show slight variations. Figures given below may therefore be inaccurate!